Christmas of Bonding
by SharkOfJade
Summary: In the silent Christmas night of Inaba, the couple of the Amagi Inn finally have their own time to simply enjoy the comfort of one another. Along with the awaited arrival of another...


As the winter night was quietly passing away with each snowflake that landed onto the ground, almost all of Inaba was rendered into something of a silent tranquility, making it feel like such a wonderfully peaceful time.

Souji sighed a bit, looking out the window of the Amagi Inn, simply absorbing the true feeling of peace he had from it all. After all the hectic activity that swept through the inn at this time of year (and for more than one reason this time), it was a rather pleasant change of pace to simply let his mind relax. Especially knowing what was coming up soon…

"Souji? Is something wrong?" An all-too familiar voice asked him from the kotatsu table, which caused Souji to come out of the slight daze he was in from the weather outside. He couldn't help but let out a light chuckle, and turned his gaze away from the window to look back at his beloved. "No, I'm fine Yukiko." He said softly, walking back to the kotatsu to sit by her side again. "Sorry, guess I just got caught up by the weather outside."

Yukiko couldn't help but chuckle at that from Souji of all people. During their high-school years, when Souji was but a visitor from the city to this small town, the raven-haired girl found him almost…..off; probably because she couldn't but be distant towards others in those days. But when he ended up saving the girl from her own inner demons, those feelings changed almost entirely. In fact, overtime in their interactions, they became love.

It had been just about 7 to 8 years after they had solved that case; both of them had grown into mature, well-grown adults in that time. Yukiko had successfully inherited the Amagi Inn now, and despite all the worries she had over it, she didn't regret a single second of it.

At least, not with Souji Seta, her husband around.

"Guess the party earlier really took you by surprise huh?" Yukiko chuckled out, as Souji felt a sweatdrop as he sat next to her by the kotatsu. "Kind of… I just wasn't expecting everyone working at the inn to hold such a big celebration like that right under my nose." Yukiko couldn't help but laugh a bit at his reaction. "Well, it is Christmas time, remember?" Hearing that caused Souji to simply chuckle back a bit himself, which caused his wife to keep up her fairly soft laugh. "And also….there's 'someone else' on the way this time…" The raven-haired women then lowered a hand over her stomach, only now, it was very large and swollen.

Souji simply smiled softly, putting his hand over hers. "Yeah… That's right…" He said in a very soft tone. He still remembered feeling like the happiest man on the earth when he found out he was going to be a father in a couple months and not once had those emotions ever gone away since then.

"…" Souji couldn't help but just softly smile, rubbing his spouse's swollen stomach, and draping one arm across her shoulders in a small hug.

"…? Souji, are you sure everything's alright?" Yukiko asked him while resisting the slight urge to laugh again, noticing how he seemed to be rather…..clingy at the moment.

"Huh?" The silverette said, seeming rather confused at first, but noticed quickly and let go. "O-oh, sorry about that." Yukiko couldn't help but giggle at that. "Relax, will you? It didn't bother me; I just didn't exactly expect it." When Souji heard that, he couldn't but smile and laugh, almost like Yukiko does when her infamous laughing fits occur. "Well…I dunno myself honestly." Souji shrugged with a grin. "I….Heh, I just feel…..happy really." And even with his best attempts to contain himself, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Guess I just still have a hard time believing I'm really gonna be a father in a couple months."

Yukiko smiled softly at seeing her husband in such a good mood, although, it was also a rather sad smile. "….It's going back to the way you grew up around your parents, isn't it?"

Souji had a small look of surprise in response to that, but then let out a bitter chuckle while softly hugging her shoulders again with a slight nod. "I should've remembered how well you know me…" He muttered out in a soft tone. He still could think back to this same very day, many years back, where afterYukiko had the night of her life with him, Souji finally couldn't help it, and decided to spill his guts out to her, telling her the most bare-bones truth of all the isolation, loneliness, and pain that he's been going through all this time. But, after her initial shock had passed, simply pulled him closed and kissed him passionately, that of which alone had reassured him she would never let him experience something like that again.

Yukiko couldn't help but sigh a bit, seeing her husband get somewhat worried over this, and just hugged him close, snuggling her face right into his neck. "Don't worry so much will you? It'll be okay, I promise."

"Yukiko….." Souji couldn't help but blush a bit when she felt his lover so close to him like this, but after hearing what she said, he felt a bit more relaxed now, and kissed her right on the cheek. "Thanks."

Yukiko giggled a little bit. "Anytime." The two of them then just proceeded to spend the rest of the time cuddling up and softly kissing each other, up until…

"…!" Souji then broke the hug, swearing that he felt some odd sort of bump hit him on the stomach. "Wait…..Yukiko, is it that again?" After some of Yukiko's surprise had settled down, she put on a gentle smile, and nodded, all the while smoothly stroking her tummy. "The baby's kicking."

As soon as he heard that familiar line, Souji's eyes lit up a bit, and he put his hand back on her stomach, and felt a small type of bump from it again. Just feeling that little bump caused him to chuckle again, and huddled a bit closer to her bulge. "Can't wait to get out and see your daddy, huh?"

"…Snrk." Yukiko could feel one of dreaded laughing fits coming fairly close now, causing her husband to look back up at her in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing, I just wouldn't expect someone like you to be so…..goofy." Yukiko's laughs only continued from there, ignoring Souji's almost adorable pout from that. "Hey..!" He sighed though, unable to be even the slightest bit upset with her, and just hugged her close. "Merry Christmas Yukiko."

Yukiko hugged him right back, not even minding the small kicks the two of them were feeling in-between the hug. "Yeah, Merry Christmas."


End file.
